So you think you have more authority than the Associated Press and the German Press Agency now? And I notice you also gloss over every anecdote in this thread from people who have been in South Korea that doesn't jibe with your opinion. You're in so, so much denial.

They're Western sources--there are not only cutural but also language barrier that prevent them from reporting news in an unbiased fashion.

Uh, why would I be in denial? You;re forcing your own misconceptions down everyone's throat and I'm correcting you. What's your purpose on this board? You don't do anything here except stir animosity and controversy.

I think the reason why Koreans love Yuna Kim is because she sort of reflects the history of the country. After the WW2 + the Korean War, South Korea was just a poor country totally destroyed, but they succeeded in rebuilding the country with impressive economic development. Kim was talented, but had to consider quitting the sport several times because of her family's financial situation. However, she managed to overcome all the obstacles (financial problems, injuries, conflicts with the skating union and management agency) and became the world champion in figure skating where the country never imagined having a world-level skater. So, how can't Koreans love this young lady?

I'm interested in K-pop and get amazed whenever I see korean fans buy everything their stars advertise even if they don't need them. They even buy same CDs and mp3 files so that their beloved singers can be ranked high in music charts. They are very loyal that they protect and defend their stars' wrongdoing. And Yuna is the star of the nation, no wonder she has a super influence on the whole country.

Furthermore, the visual characteristics of the sport, her nice look, mercy and clean private life should boost her popularity. Just my two cents

They're Western sources--there are not only cutural but also language barrier that prevent them from reporting news in an unbiased fashion.

Uh, why would I be in denial? You;re forcing your own misconceptions down everyone's throat and I'm correcting you. What's your purpose on this board? You don't do anything here except stir animosity and controversy.

First of all, why would westerners, or people from anywhere, be unable to determine who is the biggest celebrity in the country with a little journalistic investigation? Second of all, if you actually read the byline, you'd notice that the people who filed those reports had Korean names, and have filed many reports from Korea. Er, they may actually be Korean, dur. Those are reporters with actual sources, quotes, citations, statistics and interviews. What do you have to challenge their credibility besides racist assumptions? Facts may be upsetting, but the only controversy is in your mind.

I do think that it has been hard people outside of Asia to understand just how BIG Yu Na Kim is in Korea. She's like Michael Phelps...no, I'd say she's BIGGER than Michael Phelps. Here in North America, I know it's hard to grasp that kind of...overwhelming sense. I know people throw around phrases like "the entire country behind him/her", but she literally had all of Korea watching her with bated breath last night. It's just incredible.

She's way bigger in Korea than Michael Phelps is in the USA. I've always heard that she's their hugest celebrity in any field, not just sports. My impression from hearing that is that her magnitude there is more like Oprah or Michael Jackson.

Figure88, I don't understand what's there to be so defensive about? Isn't it good that Yuna is so loved? She certainly deserves every bit of it for the inspiration she brings to her country. You brought up Yoon-A, but I think while they are both popular, Yuna is also kinda worshipped in addition to being adored.

I guess to give people some comparisons to what I personally think Yuna's popularity is like in her country, I'd probably cite Michael Jordan in the States and Canadian Men's Hockey team after their victory today as examples.

So you think you have more authority than the Associated Press and the German Press Agency now? And I notice you also gloss over every anecdote in this thread from people who have been in South Korea that doesn't jibe with your opinion. You're in so, so much denial.

Originally Posted by Figure88

They're Western sources--there are not only cutural but also language barrier that prevent them from reporting news in an unbiased fashion.

Uh, why would I be in denial? You;re forcing your own misconceptions down everyone's throat and I'm correcting you. What's your purpose on this board? You don't do anything here except stir animosity and controversy.

Originally Posted by DesertRoad

First of all, why would westerners, or people from anywhere, be unable to determine who is the biggest celebrity in the country with a little journalistic investigation? Second of all, if you actually read the byline, you'd notice that the people who filed those reports had Korean names, and have filed many reports from Korea. Er, they may actually be Korean, dur. Those are reporters with actual sources, quotes, citations, statistics and interviews. What do you have to challenge their credibility besides racist assumptions? Facts may be upsetting, but the only controversy is in your mind.

Yes, generally, the journalists who work for AP and other syndicated news sources are born-and-raised Koreans. They likely got their jobs because of that. So I don't know why you're questioning the source.

As an American who follows K-POP, it's clear Kim Yuna is a big deal. All the K-pop blogs I read have had several posts about Kim Yuna winning the OGM. And Kim Yuna has done CFs with pop groups, such as the Wonder Girls. (see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbfSUtwL-Fo) And Kim Yuna had her own New Year's special last year on KBS2 that included a duet with Taeyeon of Girls' Generation, a very popular Korean girl group. (Figure 88 mentioned Yoona, who is a member of the same group.) see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIz4Tn5gfl0

hmmm...i don't think that lindsey vonn is a very good example of american sports celebrity. she is being pushed by NBC as one of the biggest stars of the olympics, but that's mostly NBC trying to get the US behind her and by extension, boost their own ratings. most americans couldn't give two cents about vonn and how she does. if she does well, then cool. if she doesn't, then whatever. lol.

cross-posting this link. someone posted this in the yu na kim forum. featured yuna's parents during the ladies' free skate. it was very interesting to see how her parents were unable to watch from their seats. and they also shed some tears after her performance.

Yes, generally, the journalists who work for AP and other syndicated news sources are born-and-raised Koreans. They likely got their jobs because of that. So I don't know why you're questioning the source.

As an American who follows K-POP, it's clear Kim Yuna is a big deal. All the K-pop blogs I read have had several posts about Kim Yuna winning the OGM. And Kim Yuna has done CFs with pop groups, such as the Wonder Girls. (see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbfSUtwL-Fo) And Kim Yuna had her own New Year's special last year on KBS2 that included a duet with Taeyeon of Girls' Generation, a very popular Korean girl group. (Figure 88 mentioned Yoona, who is a member of the same group.) see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIz4Tn5gfl0

I'm not sure if you know Korean, but that might make all the difference. I think it's better to look to the direct primary sources, rather than rely on secondary articles written in English. I find many English written articles on Korean topics are pretty skewed.

First of all, why would westerners, or people from anywhere, be unable to determine who is the biggest celebrity in the country with a little journalistic investigation? Second of all, if you actually read the byline, you'd notice that the people who filed those reports had Korean names, and have filed many reports from Korea. Er, they may actually be Korean, dur. Those are reporters with actual sources, quotes, citations, statistics and interviews. What do you have to challenge their credibility besides racist assumptions? Facts may be upsetting, but the only controversy is in your mind.

I had more problems with the initial post as opposed to the articles you posted. (I admit I didn't read the article and relied on your post for summary). The articles just says that a lot of people were following the Olympics and celebrating Yuna's victory, but you're making such a big deal of Yuna's celebrity status as some of "cultural phenomena" and the suggestion that Korea's national pride hinges on her being able to deliver the gold (which is in the same vein of some news commentators) that I find utterly ridiculous.

I'm not sure if you know Korean, but that might make all the difference. I think it's better to look to the direct primary sources, rather than rely on secondary articles written in English. I find many English written articles on Korean topics are pretty skewed.

I definitely do not know Korean, so no I can't really judge if the stories are skewed or not. But my question is what do you feel they're skewed? It sounds like you're disputing the amount of celebrity or adoration that Kim has in her home country by making comparisons to American sports stars and other Korean pop stars. But I'm not sure why you feel that our understanding of that on the board is wrong.

ETA: OK I reread some of your posts and I guess you're feeling that South Korea appears as a fanatic whose worth is dependent on whether Yuna Kim gets the gold. I don't really sense that all. But I still wonder you're downplaying her fame in Korea in order to make that point.

Insane, obsessive and stupid. It's almost like they felt inferior until producing a Yu Na Kim.

I'm sure this is how exactly you and your pathetic people are feeling.
Feeling inferior to her wonderful quality, success and the fact she delivered two most beautiful olympic programs against your wish.
what a troll. go cry me a river

Please excuse me if I am totally off the topic of this thread, but I am wondering why there is no you tube being uploaded on any tv coverage of Yuna Kim from the Olympics. I understand the US and Canada networks have banned uploading but usually there are tons of SBS Korea stuff on Yuna right after any events. I don't see any from the olympics. Have they banned uploading too?

Please excuse me if I am totally off the topic of this thread, but I am wondering why there is no you tube being uploaded on any tv coverage of Yuna Kim from the Olympics. I understand the US and Canada networks have banned uploading but usually there are tons of SBS Korea stuff on Yuna right after any events. I don't see any from the olympics. Have they banned uploading too?

Maybe SBS also banned too. Let's wait and see.

Let's go back to the topic.
We all agree that Yuna is very big in Korea and with the OGM, she's even become bigger.http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news...136_61499.html
But how about in other countries? How much is she known to non figure fans? I think her popularity will grow in time.

The skater who apologized in Japan was Midori Ito. She said something along the lines of, "Was silver okay?" But that was a long long time ago, and even at that time, her comment was regarded as a sad reflection of too much pressure. Sports media in Japan has been more cautious ever since.
In addition, I would like to make it straight that it is blatantly false that the Japanese only value Gold. All the media in Japan here is congratulating Mao's achievenment as a silver medalist. Of course she had been stating that she would like to bring the best out of her at the Olys so it was a slight pity that she wasn't able to execute all her jump repertoire, but being the first lady to do 3 axels is still an acomplishment and the media in Japan emphasizes that in their post Olympic reports. They aren't so simple minded as to think or to say "only gold mattered, why didn't you do better? ".

O, your first post too.
Thank you correcting me about the fact. You are probably right but some Japanese must have been discouraged by the result. That's only natural.
I think some postes and bloggers as well as some reporters only see what they want to see and write based on prejudice.
By the way, Ito Midori's triple axel was awesome, really impressive. That is THE 3A. Asada may want to learn from her.